• Roger Goodell defended Bad Bunny's selection days after the artist's "ICE out" Grammy speech sparked conservative backlash
• The NFL commissioner said Bad Bunny understands the Super Bowl platform is meant to unite people through creativity
• Conservative group Turning Point USA announced a competing "All-American Halftime Show" featuring Kid Rock

SAN JOSE, CA (TDR) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stood firmly behind the league's decision to have Bad Bunny headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Monday, expressing confidence the Puerto Rican superstar will deliver a unifying performance despite controversy following his Grammy Awards speech criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night [at the Grammys], one of the great artists in the world. That's one of the reasons we chose him," Goodell said at his annual Super Bowl press conference. "But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that."

The commissioner's comments came less than 24 hours after Bad Bunny used his Grammy acceptance speech to deliver a pointed political message, beginning with "Before I say thanks to God, I'm gonna say: ICE out!"

Historic Grammy Night Sparks Controversy

Bad Bunny made history at the 68th Grammy Awards on February 1, becoming the first artist to win Album of the Year for an all-Spanish language album with "Debí Tirar Más Fotos." He also won Best Música Urbana Album and Best Global Music Performance, bringing his career Grammy total to seven.

But it was his acceptance speeches that dominated headlines. Speaking mostly in Spanish and English, Bad Bunny addressed recent ICE operations in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of two American citizens.

"We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens," Bad Bunny told the crowd at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena. "We are humans and we are Americans."

"I know it's tough not to hate on these days," he continued. "The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love."

His remarks drew a standing ovation from the audience. Billie Eilish, who won Song of the Year, also spoke out during her acceptance speech, declaring "no one is illegal on stolen land" before the broadcast bleeped out profanity. Dozens of artists including Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, Jack Antonoff and Joni Mitchell wore "ICE Out" pins on the red carpet.

Conservative Opposition and Counter-Programming

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl selection has faced opposition since it was announced in September 2025. President Donald Trump said he had "never heard of him," while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called it a "terrible decision" and suggested 83-year-old Lee Greenwood perform instead.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE agents would be "all over" the Super Bowl and told right-wing podcast host Benny Johnson about her message to the NFL: "They suck, and we'll win."

"They won't be able to sleep at night because they don't know what they believe. And they're so weak, we'll fix it," Noem said, according to ESPN.

Conservative organization Turning Point USA announced it would host a competing "All-American Halftime Show" featuring Kid Rock as headliner, along with country artists Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett. The event will stream online during the official halftime show.

NFL's Latino Outreach Strategy

Goodell initially defended Bad Bunny's selection in October 2025, noting the league faces criticism over halftime performers every year.

"I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," Goodell said. "It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching."

"It's carefully thought through," the commissioner added. "He's one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That's what we try to achieve."

The selection aligns with the NFL's intensified efforts to grow its Latino fanbase. In 2024, NFL Senior Vice President Marissa Solis stated that league growth "is mathematically impossible without Latinos," citing over 39 million Latino fans in the United States.

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The league's "Por La Cultura" campaign, launched in 2021, represents an ongoing initiative through Spanish-language broadcasts, cultural partnerships and storytelling featuring Latino players. According to research from UCLA and the Latino Donor Collaborative, U.S. Latino GDP reached $4.1 trillion in 2023.

Bad Bunny has 85.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making him one of the platform's most-streamed artists globally. However, an Athletic poll of 58 NFL players found 41.4% were unhappy with the performer choice, citing unfamiliarity with his music or preference for other artists.

Security Concerns and ICE Presence

Bad Bunny's opposition to ICE enforcement stems from his decision to exclude the continental United States from his 2025-2026 concert tour. He told i-D magazine the choice was driven by concerns about potential raids at concert venues.

"People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world," Bad Bunny explained. "But there was the issue of — like, f-----g ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it's something that we were talking about and very concerned about."

Goodell sidestepped direct questions about ICE's potential involvement in Super Bowl security Monday, stating only that preparations are "moving forward as normal."

"Security is obviously one of the things we focus on the most," Goodell said. "It's a tier one level event that involves unique assets at the federal level, the state level and the local level all working together. I see no change in that in the preparations for the Super Bowl."

The Bay Area host committee told local officials Monday there are no planned ICE operations for Super Bowl LX, according to The Athletic. TMZ later reported there is "no plan" for ICE agents to be on the premises Sunday.

Green Day Adds Another Political Element

Goodell faces potential political statements from another act as well. Green Day, the legendary punk rock band formed in the East Bay, will perform during the Super Bowl's opening ceremonies. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has never been shy about political commentary, with the band's 2004 album "American Idiot" serving as a roar of anger at President George W. Bush's administration.

CNN's analysis noted that Goodell wants Super Bowl LX to be "a unifying event" where football fans "put aside the things that divide us."

"It's one of the few times that the NFL commissioner is very unlikely to get what he wants," CNN observed.

JAY-Z Dismisses Opposition

JAY-Z, whose Roc Nation helps produce the halftime show in partnership with the NFL and Apple Music, dismissed opposition to Bad Bunny's selection as astroturfing.

"They love him," JAY-Z said, referring to the conservative critics.

Super Bowl LX will feature the Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, February 8. The halftime show typically draws over 100 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched television events annually.

If the Super Bowl halftime show is meant to unite Americans through entertainment, does showcasing an artist who speaks primarily Spanish and has taken bold political stances achieve that goal—or does authentic representation of America's growing diversity inherently serve a unifying purpose even when it challenges some viewers' comfort zones?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CNN's coverage of Bad Bunny's Grammy speech, NBC News reporting on Grammy protests, Yahoo Sports coverage of Goodell's defense, CNN's analysis of the political tightrope, Parade's reporting on the counter-show, CBS News coverage of the Grammy speech, Rolling Stone's comprehensive Grammy coverage, ABC News on what to know about Bad Bunny, Wikipedia's documentation of the halftime show, and Hello Magazine's coverage of NFL player opinions.

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